Siwan, Bihar – The death of 20-year-old Muslim youth Faiz Anwar in police custody in Siwan district of Bihar has sparked widespread outrage, with his family accusing the police of brutal torture and demanding an independent investigation, reported the Siasat.
Faiz, son of Mohammad Aslam and a resident of Mohiuddinpur, was arrested on July 31, 2025, in connection with an earlier theft case. On August 2, police announced that he had died after allegedly falling ill and later taking his own life at a hospital.
His family vehemently denies this version, claiming visible injuries on his body — including two deep marks on his neck — point to forceful strangulation. “I applied multiple times to meet him in custody but was turned away three times. When I finally reached the jail, I saw police taking out his body without informing me it was Faiz,” said his elder brother Saif Ali.
Ali recounted that he followed the police to Sadar Hospital, where Faiz was declared dead. “Hospital authorities kept sending me to the police, and the police sent me back to the hospital. Only after we protested did they claim he died by suicide,” he said.
The family alleges that the post-mortem report has been withheld for over three days, in violation of custodial death protocols. Despite submitting a written complaint to Mofassil Police Station on August 8, an FIR has not yet been registered.
Faiz’s mother, Zaida Khatoon, has formally accused the police of killing her son in custody in a letter to the District Magistrate, demanding a high-level probe. The family is calling for a judicial inquiry, a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe, and the suspension of all officers involved.
Advocate Kaif Hasan, representing the family, has condemned the handling of the case, calling it “a clear denial of justice.” He stressed the legal requirement for transparency, forensic examinations, and independent investigations in custodial death cases.
So far, no information has been provided on whether CCTV cameras in the lock-up or hospital were operational, whether a magistrate inspected the scene, or why no surveillance footage has been shared. No police officer has been suspended or questioned, and no official inquiry has begun.
For Faiz’s family, who are still awaiting the post-mortem report and a credible explanation for his death, justice remains a distant hope.
